Well, how do we look?

It’s a brand new year, and that means changes have come to the Marquette Tribune — all for the better, we hope. One of the biggest changes has been to the pages you’re reading now, a cosmetic shuffle designed to make our Viewpoints section stand out from the pack.

But that’s not the biggest change overall. That achievement goes to the online side of things, over at marquettetribune.org. Come on, Google it. We’ll wait.

As you can see (if you’ve indulged my whim, that is), things are a bit different than you might remember from last year. But the changes aren’t just skin deep. This year, we’re making a new level of commitment to the Tribune’s online format, so you can get more from your student newspaper.

The most prominent shift you’ll see is an increased blog presence from us, providing a steady stream of online-first content from across our paper’s desks at blogs.marquettetribune.org.

In Marquee, Hitting the Marq enters its second semester, providing a glimpse into what’s on the minds of our arts and entertainment reporters five days a week. Here in Viewpoints, we’re launching three columnist blogs, with Bridget Gamble tackling gender roles, Kelly White conquering her personal bucket list and the advice column of a mysterious stranger known as the “Marquette Worrier.” And our sports desk will soon be debuting their men’s basketball blog, Paint Touches, to allow for extra coverage beyond the print edition.

We’re also increasing our commitment to online multimedia, so expect to see more pictures, videos and audio on the site in the future. As journalists in the digital era, it’s more important than ever to tell stories from new and exciting angles, to engage and enlighten our audience.

That said, not all the changes are limited to our online platform. We’ve revamped our news beats to provide greater, more varied coverage both on- and offline, and we’re working to expand in our other desks as well.

Basically, we’re working our hardest to make this year’s Tribune the best it can be for you, just as we do every year. And it’s paid off — last spring we were named the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2010 Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper, and this year we hope to provide the same quality level of coverage.

Remember, we’re here to be your student newspaper, so please contact us via email, phone or our online comments section if you have concerns or suggestions. And don’t think all these changes are final — we’re going to be working to continually improve our print and online content throughout the year. We’re looking forward to the journey.

Yours,

Matthew Reddin, editor-in-chief